My husband and I are going on a Med. cruise in May/2004. I am very much prone to sea sickness and was wondering how rough the seas are there. I have been to Alaska,the Carib., Panama and Tahiti. The two worse were Alaska and Tahiti. We will be sailing on the Millenium and our cabin is not quite mid ship on the Panarama deck(balcony) I have been told the waters are relatively smooth in the Med but that was only one person's view.
Thanks.

We were on the Millennium for the Western European Med cruise in Sept. 2000. Our cabin was on the Penthouse deck and perfectly located mid-ship slightly forward. Only once did we encounter a serious rain storm during the night. It was so violent that the ship rocked side to side and the glasses actually fell off of the tables in our cabin. Livorno closed the port due to the high rough seas and we had to wait it out at sea.

We have cruised in the Med. 4 times on 3 different ships - 3 times in May - 1 time in August/September.....2X in May we experienced really rough sailing....only lasted one night on each cruise - there were heavy storms all around Europe during those times. We were surprised at how rough it got very late at night both times - as we were "assured" that we'd have pretty good chances of having a smooth sailing.....However bad the seas were - the conditions did not warrent us getting or taking any motion sickness meds. We toughed it out.

Please note: even though we had a couple of rough nights - we are NOT complaining about any of these cruises - we'd still be cruising the Med each May if it were not for our concern about the "world situation".

You will absolutely love this cruise. There is nothing like it - book it and be prepared to enjoy the trip of your life. We booked our first cruise in the Med - and continued booking our cruise vacations there - until 9/11. We've since cruised Hawaii, Panama, Alaska and the Western Carib. - and while all were nice cruises they simply did not compare to the beauty and history of the Med.

From experience: it's just not possible to know what the weather conditions will be at any specific time and what effect those conditions will have on the waters.

I have just returned from a 15 day cruise on the Constellation (Mediterranean and Trans Atlantic) with 8 Port of calls - the first evening out (Barcelona to Villefranche) was considered rough by some passengers and "Barf Bags" were discretely placed around the ship. I didn't find it partcularly rough but my travel companion was seasick that first night out. You can get "seasick pills" from the Customer Service Desk.

The sailing from Lisbon to Funchal, Madeira was also a little bouncy the first night but interestingly enough the 5 day Trans Atlantic crossing was very smooth.

The ship is beautiful. The specialty restaurant (Ocean Liners Restaurant) is a dining delight ( we went on 4 separate evenings ) with generally excellent service. Reservations are required so book early. It is a "dress-up" affair and although there were some men with suits, most of us wore formal wear. The $25 per person fee covers your gratuity.

We avoided the Seaside Cafe (buffets) as much as we possibly could except for the evening SUSHI BAR which was quite nice.

The Aqua Spa Cafe (next to the indoor swimming pool) was generally good and usually featured salads and cold plates and calorie conscious dishes. One of the best kept secrets on the ship was that the Aqua Cafe also offered several "cooked to order" items each day . . . such as Scampi or other seafood dishes. There is no additional charge for using this Cafe and you don't have to wait in line while they cook your order. A waiter will serve it to your poolside table when it is ready.

If you have any other specific questions regarding the Constellation I'd be happy to try and answer them

I think the Med. can as a rule be pretty rough now and then. Out of 6 of us, only one got sea sick. Twice we couldn't go to Livorno and once to Crete because of rough seas (twice in May and once in July). Both times we've gone from South of France to Barcelona, it's been quite rough. The ships really handle rough seas so well, you shouldn't let it keep you from sailing the Med.!! We sailed from Hawaii out to Fanning Island on the NCL Star and people complained that that was rough...I liked that we at least felt like we were on the Ocean, not at a hotel somewhere!!! Have a wonderful time in our favorite part of the world!!!!

So what would be the best months to go in terms of rough seas and best weather on land--say for a medit cruise that covers Spain, Italy, France & Greece--thinking of the Galaxy that does this itin..but when???

Hcat, don't let us cause you to worry!!! It sounds like you are a seasoned cruiser and I really think you would be fine in May!!! The ships usually pick the best times of year to be in these areas, so if they are there in May, they generally have smooth sailing! There are always those times when at sea things get a bit rough...no matter where you are sailing! I don't think you will find it disturbingly rough!!! When we hit the rougher weather years ago, it was on the old Royal Viking Line which had much smaller ships than most sailing today.

The heat of the middle of summer would seem like more of a reason to avoid July and August (if you can...our kids are out of school then, so it's the ONLY time we can go!). If heat bothers you, it can really be a problem! We put up with it and still had the times of our lives! Either May or later Sept. should be wonderful!

Hey, the wind can blow at any time of year, and when it does it will stir up the water to a greater or lesser extent! Nobody is going to 'guarantee' you a 'Calm Seas and Prosperous Voyage' whichever month you choose, but May, June and September will be the most pleasant for enjoying your time ashore. July/August can be unpleasantly hot and October is less predictable. But Celebrity ships are all seaworthy and unless you are particularly prone to seasickness and particularly unlucky it is most unlikely that you will have more than one 'bad' day on a typical cruise in the Summer season.